tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20395989299366062252024-03-21T12:06:57.204-07:00Colombian Journey: the heart of solidarityCocuy mountain range in the Eastern Andes of ColombiaColombian Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105005895979262918noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2039598929936606225.post-4402009621217421182010-05-19T15:07:00.000-07:002010-05-19T15:09:10.430-07:00Perseverance<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGlVx7BlGiW2e5dMXOr35oI55rV1kxfoY3-Ige1JznSbbgskCmnLB59oKhnF0Uq06Yu9cegO62NvdO_GD4s3E1Wzz5-hDSGHTxAVszTLHQ3YXhyEpuxaafjOm-KULaqfmVFUMgmwXabJk/s1600/Fernando.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGlVx7BlGiW2e5dMXOr35oI55rV1kxfoY3-Ige1JznSbbgskCmnLB59oKhnF0Uq06Yu9cegO62NvdO_GD4s3E1Wzz5-hDSGHTxAVszTLHQ3YXhyEpuxaafjOm-KULaqfmVFUMgmwXabJk/s320/Fernando.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473106329771384898" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEqyrXc49VNxwjpA1elA1Wsnu495aWmiqZZcSKhf-tgS-Uj_rb6lLEplXHiHgw7MmTo5s8GkBd5E6OvchiMh-EQXFcLmnRbON2BP9JImAK4eNRVk3ilpByKPxX-zerdswVc5_SHkxPCck/s1600/Jose.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEqyrXc49VNxwjpA1elA1Wsnu495aWmiqZZcSKhf-tgS-Uj_rb6lLEplXHiHgw7MmTo5s8GkBd5E6OvchiMh-EQXFcLmnRbON2BP9JImAK4eNRVk3ilpByKPxX-zerdswVc5_SHkxPCck/s320/Jose.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473106323559199058" /></a><br />Dear friends,<br /> <br />My friend Fernando was in a wheelchair in front of his office supplies store in Saravena on May 13. It was the first time I had seen him since he was shot in October 2008. I asked him how he was doing and he replied “blessed.”<br /> <br />He invited me to a cup of tea and began telling me about his experience. Two men had come into his home and shot him. One of the bullets struck the right side of his chest, passed near his lungs and heart, and exited the left side of his chest. The other bullet hit his spine.<br /> <br />A friend came to the house and took him to the hospital. “I was nearly dead when I arrived. My friend told me ‘Think about your children Fernando!’ and I clung to that. The surgeon opened me up here (pointing to his chest), massaged my heart, and I began the struggle to survive.” He was flown to Cucuta the next day, where he spent 27 days in intensive care and three more months in recovery. <br /> <br />Valentina (6 years old), Maria Fernandez (12) and Camilo (18) are his three children. The office supplies store is named Mafer, the nickname of his oldest daughter.<br /> <br />“What do you think, and feel, about the two guys that did this?” I asked him. “I already forgave them,” he replied. “I don’t have any anger, hostility or hatred.” He also said, “I talk with the pain. I say ‘we have to live together so don’t bother me so much,’ and I don’t take painkillers.”<br /> <br />Fernando is hopeful that he’ll be able to walk again someday. The bullet produced trauma, but didn’t sever, the spinal cord. He told me that “stem cell treatment for a non-severed spinal cord injury” is performed in Brazil and the U.S. and could restore his ability to walk. If you have any information or contacts that could help Fernando receive this treatment, please let me know!<br /> <br />I was visiting Saravena and Arauquita (in the state of Arauca) for a week of “rest” from the work here in Barrancabermeja. My friend Jose was standing in front of the Catholic church in Arauquita on May 10. The last time I had seen him was in the Arauca City prison in December 2008. We gave each other a big hug and then sat together for mass.<br /> <br />Jose was the president of the Arauquita chapter of the Arauca Small Farmers Association. The army detained Jose and 13 other people in Arauquita for the crime of “rebellion” on January 12, 2008. The municipal human rights official, Tatiana Blanco, went to the army base to inquire about the people who were being held there and she was also detained. Jose was finally declared innocent, and released from prison, on April 9 of this year. <br /> <br />Jose was a sanitation worker and the sole source of income for his spouse and their four children, who suffered a lot while he was in prison. He told me that he is trying to get his job back but the mayor’s office has been unwilling to reinstate him.<br /> <br />Marisol called out to me as I was walking by the Arauquita park on May 11. A guerrilla had killed Paola, her 13-year-old daughter, a month earlier. I asked Marisol how she was doing and she began to cry. “It’s hard to see the man (the killer) and not be able to say anything,” she told me. She would be risking her life if she spoke out. She said it’s very painful to lose a daughter, “but I have three other children” – and that keeps her going forward.<br /> <br />I talked later with the coordinator of the “Integral Well-being for Rural Girls” program being implemented in Arauquita by the Humanity in Force organization. The program includes psycho-social accompaniment, holistic medicine, legal assistance, education, communication and research. Marisol participated in a workshop organized by a psychologist and she’ll be receiving on-going support from the program. <br /> <br />The perseverance of Fernando, Jose and Marisol help put my minor frustrations into perspective and inspire me to continue our collective work of creating a more humane world.<br /> <br />In love and solidarity,<br />CJ<br /><br />Photos of Fernando in front of the Mafer office supplies store; and Jose, his spouse (left), children, and neighbor during a visit to the Arauca City prison:Colombian Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105005895979262918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2039598929936606225.post-84753821312245311342010-03-21T09:59:00.000-07:002010-03-21T10:04:15.104-07:00Marching for the lives of teachers<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmw5caW-ZhUC3AnJLYBwUcTfvcTzbfmTtCsbO-FSreC18_WBuJTLBJVG2bxqFx6z-CTh975RIkVJQAKRMdr8f4FqHD4d4uLDjihIW7buk76TnJMZJCPIbfjMRBMdFZ3B4Ffyq_1eWQdlQ/s1600-h/March.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmw5caW-ZhUC3AnJLYBwUcTfvcTzbfmTtCsbO-FSreC18_WBuJTLBJVG2bxqFx6z-CTh975RIkVJQAKRMdr8f4FqHD4d4uLDjihIW7buk76TnJMZJCPIbfjMRBMdFZ3B4Ffyq_1eWQdlQ/s320/March.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451133212668917186" /></a><br />Dear friends,<br /> <br />More than 2,000 students and teachers marched through the streets of Puerto Berrio on March 17 to protest the killing of a teacher and his wife. Duvian Rojo and Veronica Cadavid were killed by two gunmen in the center of town on the evening of March 13. Puerto Berrio is controlled by paramilitary death squads that have relations with the police and military, and the killing occurred just two blocks from the police station. Duvian and Veronica were the parents of twins that are less than a year old.<br /> <br />The paramilitaries have been extorting more than 20 teachers in the town – demanding that they pay protection money in order to avoid being killed. Duvian filed a complaint with the prosecutor’s office that led to the arrest of two men, although none of the paramilitary leaders were arrested. His colleagues believe that he was killed in retaliation for speaking out about the extortions. <br /> <br />I felt a lot of tension at the beginning of the march, more so than at any other activity I’ve accompanied here in Colombia. I asked the parish priest, who had invited us to the march, if I could take some photos. He responded that it would be better if I did not. One of my teammates, who had been married by the priest, talked to him later and he agreed to let me get some shots. I was introduced to a man who then walked with me to the front of the march. The march stretched out for several blocks and it was very inspiring to see so many students in the streets of Puerto Berrio. <br /> <br />We met with a group of teachers after the march in the church, Our Lady of Sorrows. One man was wearing a t-shirt with a photo of Duvian that read, “Friend Duvian, you will always be in our hearts.” The teachers were very concerned about their safety and asked us to not mention their names. “You wonder if you’ll be the next victim,” one of them told us.<br /> <br />They described the relationship of the paramilitaries with the police and military. “These groups are mixed together with the authorities.” They also talked about the location of the killing – two policemen are usually stationed there and it’s near the station. “They (the killers) exited to the left and the police came in from the right.” <br /> <br />Puerto Berrio is a town of 50,000 inhabitants, located two hours south of Barrancabermeja. Two paramilitary groups are fighting for control of the cocaine trade in the region, and one of those groups has apparently entered into an alliance with the National Army of Liberation (ELN) guerrillas. The priest told us that three to four people were killed each week in Puerto Berrio during February. In the midst of all this, the teachers are determined to continue forward and to denounce the abuses that occur in their town.<br /> <br />Sister Miriam accompanies workers in the palm oil plantations near Barrancabermeja. During the meeting with the teachers, she said “Peace can appear to be a distant dream. However, there are new sprouts and signs of hope. We’re weaving together networks of people.”<br /> <br />In love and solidarity,<br />CJ<br /><br />Photo of students with banner, “It’s in your hands to respect and value life. I love it, do you?”:Colombian Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105005895979262918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2039598929936606225.post-69083782109327671352010-03-02T09:55:00.000-08:002010-03-21T10:03:33.580-07:00A friend becomes a killer<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxya3DGrVbQ35_MgcW4OkJy-4kCzs1H6FALn2PjuRZEcO04IK7VvXAGiFcZcTCJVeSqDYrf52RBwZSbz1CJbi5tV5Wi4roHZp_nPbWwtRsw9SqsFvUONLyJHLpaqBo01PHdnMSjnsetA/s1600-h/Jaime.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxya3DGrVbQ35_MgcW4OkJy-4kCzs1H6FALn2PjuRZEcO04IK7VvXAGiFcZcTCJVeSqDYrf52RBwZSbz1CJbi5tV5Wi4roHZp_nPbWwtRsw9SqsFvUONLyJHLpaqBo01PHdnMSjnsetA/s320/Jaime.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451131994199966930" /></a><br />Dear friends,<br /> <br />My friend Jaime Carrillo killed his spouse, Carmen Gutierrez, on February 26. Jaime had dedicated his life to defending human rights but he acted just as brutally as the paramilitary death squads that had threatened him. It appears that the calm and soft-spoken man I had known went into a frenzy of jealousy and rage. <br /> <br />Jaime was the human rights coordinator of the Arauca Teachers Union and president of the United Labor Federation in Arauca. I met him in June 2004 when he was living in the union office in Arauca City. The paramilitaries had threatened to kill him and it was too dangerous for him to stay in his home. <br /> <br />I visited Jaime again two years later. He gave me a list of 28 teachers that had been killed in Arauca and told me, “I knew most of those people.” The union office had an armored door, bulletproof windows, and video surveillance camera; and Jaime moved around Arauca City with two armed bodyguards. Jaime said, “I sense that I could be the victim of a bombing and I worry about my spouse.” Carmen had also been mentioned in the threats against him.<br /> <br />According to media reports, Jaime and Carmen separated a month ago. Carmen was a nurse at the Arauca City public hospital and Jaime was waiting for her after she finished her shift on February 26. He stabbed her ten times and then cut his own neck. He didn’t succeed in killing himself and is now in prison for murder. Carmen and Jaime had three children who are nine, seventeen and twenty years old.<br /> <br />I called Sonia (president of the Joel Sierra Human Rights Foundation) to talk with her about Carmen’s death. She told me that our friend Salinas said he was “very perplexed” and that describes how most of our friends feel. <br /> <br />I’m used to denouncing the actions of corporations, governments, and armies. Denouncing the murderous action of a friend is more difficult and confusing. In addition to the crucial question about the root causes of this violence against women, it also raises personal questions for me. What am I doing here and is there any value in this? <br /> <br />In response, I find myself reflecting on the ideal of being consistent in our words and actions. It seems easy to focus on the abuses committed by others while ignoring the abuses that we commit within our own organizations and relations. I’m also realizing my need to have a firm foundation from which to act. For me, that’s my sense of spirituality which is a bit shaky at the moment. Finally, I’m aware of the need to maintain balance in my life in order to avoid falling into burn-out – to be able to recognize and experience the love and beauty that continue to exist on this earth.<br /> <br />None of these reflections will change the agonizing death of Carmen or the suffering of her children. However, in the midst of this confusion and fatigue, hopefully they will enable me to continue forward doing what I can in our collective efforts to end all forms of violence.<br /> <br />In love and solidarity,<br />CJ <br /><br />Photo of Jaime in the union office in July 2006, showing some of the threats that he received (including a booklet about the alleged dangers of communism):Colombian Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105005895979262918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2039598929936606225.post-44316248591215129192010-02-24T10:29:00.000-08:002010-02-24T10:34:46.837-08:00Prayer as a call for justice<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnxK2zs1bvQ6xOabU7LVPlUTPt_CRiahjbTa7rAkYK14uD98vWmpTbSs6INL0LclQ7LuPnCYcBe00kXkrbOibvGrMKHgxyfxyqRkITZRd9XJdwx2gxY99wipKlbm-e3BWmKN8wENzuYg0/s1600-h/Mariela+%26+Stewart.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnxK2zs1bvQ6xOabU7LVPlUTPt_CRiahjbTa7rAkYK14uD98vWmpTbSs6INL0LclQ7LuPnCYcBe00kXkrbOibvGrMKHgxyfxyqRkITZRd9XJdwx2gxY99wipKlbm-e3BWmKN8wENzuYg0/s320/Mariela+%26+Stewart.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441879774060311474" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6npcsRDCDn8z0OwfequbosZPki6Yvm1TSiag4fiLF0H6CivfnD12SHdc3tijKTnSLhiKQQ6qKNB1PNp4AK2HMHMTwOlc8Bu50zLknFtmiC7SUDTpeM30ZpWlM0oDqwJ_xYiftETJOaxY/s1600-h/Alix.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6npcsRDCDn8z0OwfequbosZPki6Yvm1TSiag4fiLF0H6CivfnD12SHdc3tijKTnSLhiKQQ6qKNB1PNp4AK2HMHMTwOlc8Bu50zLknFtmiC7SUDTpeM30ZpWlM0oDqwJ_xYiftETJOaxY/s320/Alix.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441879770786892402" /></a><br />Dear friends,<br /> <br />Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) organized a public action in Bogotá on Ash Wednesday (February 17) to call on the government to provide land titles to the communities of Las Pavas and Garzal. Fifty people gathered together in front of the Colombian Institute for Rural Development (INCODER) and used song, readings, theater, liturgy and prayer in a powerful and moving cry for justice. <br /> <br />The ash that we received on our foreheads was from trees that had been chopped down and burned by the Daabon company in the Las Pavas farm. Daabon had 123 families evicted from the farm in July 2009 and is destroying the cropland, wetlands and forest in order to create an oil palm plantation. That eviction could be reversed if INCODER finally provides the land title to the people of Las Pavas. The ash was placed on us by Mariela whose community of Garzal is also at risk of losing their land if they don’t receive titles from INCODER.<br /> <br />Alix, president of the Colombian Mennonite Church, faced INCODER as she read through the megaphone from Isaiah 58. God calls on her people in that passage “to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke.”<br /> <br />Adriana and Gerardo shared the reading of the metaphor in 2 Samuel 12 in which a rich person kills the beloved animal of a poor person. Gerardo read the original verses while Adriana read verses that adapted the story to INCODER’s mistreatment of Las Pavas and Garzal. <br /> <br />Phil played guitar and led us in singing “No Basta Rezar” (It’s Not Enough to Pray). “No, no, it’s not enough to pray. A lot of things still need to be done in order to achieve peace.” He also wrote a song for the action called “Oiga!” (Listen up!) – “Listen up! We’re not going to accept this injustice. Listen up! We’re moving forward. We’ll always work for peace.” <br /> <br />Representatives of Las Pavas, Garzal and CPT then went to the entrance of INCODER and delivered a letter that began, “We’re writing to you on this day of Ash Wednesday; a day to reflect on our actions and attitudes, and to seek the path of repentance and forgiveness. We respectfully invite you to seek this path and to recognize that you have failed the communities of Las Pavas and Garzal. These communities have been waiting years to receive their titles.” <br /> <br />According to Colombian law, people can occupy vacant or abandoned land and then receive title to that land after they’ve been there for five years. Members of the Buenos Aires Small Farmers Association (ASOCAB) moved onto the abandoned Las Pavas farm in 1997. An INCODER commission visited the farm in 2006 and verified that the families met the requirements to receive the title. Emilio Escobar, the former owner, returned to Las Pavas later that year with a group of armed men. He threatened the families who then abandoned the farm. The Daabon company signed a purchase agreement with Escobar the following year. The 123 families of ASOCAB moved back to Las Pavas in January of last year and Daabon had them evicted in July. <br /> <br />The letter to INCODER ended, “In this season of Lent, INCODER has the possibility of giving new life to these communities by providing those titles.” Alix concluded her reading of Isaiah with these verses, “If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer your food to the hungry, and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness…you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.”<br /> <br />In love and solidarity,<br />CJ<br /><br />Photos of Mariela placing ash on Stewart, a CPTer dressed as an INCODER representative; and Alix facing INCODER as she reads from Isaiah.Colombian Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105005895979262918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2039598929936606225.post-82880516877372053112009-12-18T11:22:00.001-08:002009-12-18T11:27:14.592-08:00Love, community and perseverance<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdi7gpuuGFeoq-1mYeacgADjtuqXuvteSBGcZiAe6IxOH7Yc4cAjHXhScOYmrf8WrU__KZY-_WMs7wJQW1IBTN31JkZqJlTGDGisnWsCrEBw6kT9Vn2BaSKzkOIOG6sTwLupqrLsTBvzU/s1600-h/Kuss+%26+Alba.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdi7gpuuGFeoq-1mYeacgADjtuqXuvteSBGcZiAe6IxOH7Yc4cAjHXhScOYmrf8WrU__KZY-_WMs7wJQW1IBTN31JkZqJlTGDGisnWsCrEBw6kT9Vn2BaSKzkOIOG6sTwLupqrLsTBvzU/s320/Kuss+%26+Alba.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416658946318948530" /></a><br />Dear friends,<br /> <br />I recently returned to the state of Arauca for a visit and I received a wonderful gift of love, community and perseverance. I’ve been reflecting on that gift during this season of solstice, Chanukah and Christmas.<br /> <br />I was able to be with my godchild, Kuss Bryan, for the celebration of his fourth birthday in Fortul on December 1 (see attached photo). His mother, Alba, was severely wounded in her left shoulder during the bombing of Santo Domingo on December 13, 1998. The Colombian air force dropped two U.S.-manufactured cluster bombs on the community – killing 17 people and wounding 25. Employees of Airscan, a U.S. corporation providing security for Occidental Petroleum’s oilfield and pipeline in Arauca, provided the coordinates for the bombing. The survivors sued the Colombian government and the government was forced to pay reparations last year. Alba used the money she received to build a small house for herself and Kuss.<br /> <br />Alba’s father, Wilson Garcia, was the president of the Santo Domingo community council and he was killed by the guerrillas on March 24, 2006. Alba is six-months pregnant with her second child and is due to give birth in March. We talked about the new life that will be arriving in her home during the same month as the anniversary of her father’s death.<br /> <br />Father Luis invited me to lunch the day that I arrived in Arauquita. He’s very committed to the struggle for social justice and he has denounced the economic violence in Arauca – people living in poverty in a region rich with natural resources. “We’re here (on this earth) to love and be loved,” he said the last time that we shared lunch. At the end of evening mass he announced, “We’re glad to have with us again the human rights defender, Scott, who is now living in Barrancabermeja but has a special relation with our parish.”<br /> <br />I stayed with Maria Ruth and her six children while I was in Arauquita. Maria Ruth is a member of the Arauquita municipal council and has been threatened by both of the guerrilla groups that operate in Arauca. She’s told me, “You’re part of this family,” and they always manage to create space for me in their home.<br /> <br />That evening, I dined on a slice of fruit pizza prepared by Maria in her cart near the park. I’m a very loyal client whenever I’m in Arauquita. “We were just talking about you last night,” she said when I arrived and she gave me a hug.<br /> <br />In Saravena, I stayed with my friends Hugo and Rosa. Hugo is a surgeon at the public hospital and we share a love for classic rock music. He was listening to Jethro Tull when I first visited their home three years ago and he was pleasantly surprised that I recognized the band – the start of a wonderful friendship. <br /> <br />I became very sick while I was in their home with an intestinal infection that I apparently acquired during the last trip to the countryside here in the Middle Magdalena region. Hugo took me to the emergency room and I saw my friend Aide there. Her father, Alirio Martinez, was the president of the Arauca State Peasant Association. The army executed Alirio, along with two other community leaders, on August 5, 2004. Aide just completed seven years of medical school in Cuba and she is continuing her father’s legacy by serving the community as a doctor in the Saravena hospital.<br /> <br />The gift of love and community that I received from the people of Arauca fills me with joy and hope. Their strength and perseverance also inspires me to continue on this path of working together to create a better world.<br /> <br />In love and solidarity,<br />CJ<br /><br />Photo of Kuss and Alba:Colombian Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105005895979262918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2039598929936606225.post-78240212623183371852009-10-22T15:24:00.000-07:002009-10-23T15:26:17.514-07:00Indigenous Day dam protest<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxAOCCGr2BCgOrd0Fd5unMQZ-J1qlNAgP-7PaGFf5EsqPxrUPm12ZWsiEBM1HyPBdWuTgexk8CbPLzuA9A6bdhSCNzmrO71Qpcrz30WhQ5cv-FYi2t8WQ1_xffW2It1yMRKmW5FrnGDxg/s1600-h/Dam+protest.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxAOCCGr2BCgOrd0Fd5unMQZ-J1qlNAgP-7PaGFf5EsqPxrUPm12ZWsiEBM1HyPBdWuTgexk8CbPLzuA9A6bdhSCNzmrO71Qpcrz30WhQ5cv-FYi2t8WQ1_xffW2It1yMRKmW5FrnGDxg/s320/Dam+protest.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395925216161461810" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgRElWCWOG7Ln-Wdv2j3yZ5AUST5_Z2Gzxvz46jXmK8N4WtaLHAf-QuM0vi0lFB1AqVmPNV9l2iyK-Ge0_yHeBuUdImdP-AJ2IIBRQkO0OnOdiAjRhObPcKHtPib3wL_ZtJW6syrUhqO8/s1600-h/Sogamoso+River.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgRElWCWOG7Ln-Wdv2j3yZ5AUST5_Z2Gzxvz46jXmK8N4WtaLHAf-QuM0vi0lFB1AqVmPNV9l2iyK-Ge0_yHeBuUdImdP-AJ2IIBRQkO0OnOdiAjRhObPcKHtPib3wL_ZtJW6syrUhqO8/s320/Sogamoso+River.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395925213894540434" /></a><br />Dear friends,<br /><br /> More than 500 people occupied the Sogamoso River bridge on October 12 (“Columbus Day”) to protest construction of a hydroelectric dam on the river. The action was part of a national mobilization called the Minga of Communal and Social Resistance. Minga is an indigenous term for collective action, and it is the indigenous movement that is leading the way in the struggle for social and environmental justice here in Colombia. <br /><br /> The Sogamoso River is beautiful as it flows through a narrow canyon near the bridge. Sadly, heavy machinery is now scraping away at the side of the mountain in preparation to build a 600 foot-high dam which will flood 17,000 acres of land.<br /><br /> The blockage of the river will destroy the livelihood of approximately 200 people that provide for their families by fishing in the area directly below the dam site. The Sogamoso feeds into a vast network of swamps and wetlands that will also be affected by the dam – impacting the lives of many more fishers and their families.<br /><br /> Nearly 20 buses brought people from the cities of Barrancabermeja and Bucaramanga to the Sogamoso River on October 12. The people divided into five groups with each group discussing one of the five main issues of the Minga. Each group built a cooking fire and began preparing a large cauldron of stew for lunch. Community was created as people joined together in cooking and conversation around the fires.<br /><br /> “Land and Territory” was one of the issues of the Minga. Strong opposition was expressed to the recent military accord signed by the Colombia government and the administration of Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Barack Obama. The accord enables the U.S. military to use seven bases in Colombia as part of the “war on drugs and terrorism.” The concern is that this will escalate the war in Colombia and that the bases could also be used to intervene in the neighboring countries of Venezuela and Ecuador.<br /><br /> “Economic System” was another of the issues of the Minga, and strong opposition was also expressed to the “free trade” agreement between the U.S. and Colombia that was negotiated by the Bush administration. The agreement would be particularly harmful to small farmers in Colombia who can’t compete with subsidized industrial agriculture from the U.S.<br /><br /> When Barack Obama was campaigning, he declared his opposition to the agreement due to the repression of union activists in Colombia and his stance generated a lot of press coverage here. However, in April he spoke about promoting Congressional approval of the agreement. Obama’s Commerce Secretary, Gary Locke, and Trade Representative, Ron Kirk, are both strong proponents of corporate free trade.<br /><br /> After lunch was shared alongside the Sogamoso River, the people then occupied the bridge to protest construction of the dam. The bridge lies along the Barrancabermeja-Bucaramanga highway and traffic was shut down for more than an hour.<br /><br /> Honorio Llorente, president of the Sogamoso Bridge community council, participated actively in the Minga. His opposition to the dam apparently angered some powerful forces in the region. Five days later, on October 17, Honorio was shot and killed.<br /><br /> In love and solidarity,<br /><br /> CJ<br /><br />Photos of the protest at the Sogamoso River bridge and the view of the river from the bridge:Colombian Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105005895979262918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2039598929936606225.post-49864441439648127212009-10-06T14:12:00.000-07:002009-10-10T14:16:19.830-07:00Palm Oil Pandemic<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2l8oEbQaajdkQcKsMCm8ilVtYMbwCp1cju_MK6srFutsXLiaXn4dKDk0Z_3_c7NScbepDm-nRaWYcq6cM3wzPDmCzlWtiJChcbktCuxKLn04tyb6to0FkesaxdkedgZ7uW99EWNuUPso/s1600-h/Families+of+Las+Pavas.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2l8oEbQaajdkQcKsMCm8ilVtYMbwCp1cju_MK6srFutsXLiaXn4dKDk0Z_3_c7NScbepDm-nRaWYcq6cM3wzPDmCzlWtiJChcbktCuxKLn04tyb6to0FkesaxdkedgZ7uW99EWNuUPso/s320/Families+of+Las+Pavas.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391082964516180482" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN5cHzhGnUlJXNDAVfqNnJ3KOhik0UJKw_etxCvEawI1V9lQObI3KnlblJcF0rwWovLe8Z8qyg3J_qY8lgR3z354j8WwoggoFhyRY2mwnVktbYLLfVOtYHWx1gI30g_hMOI74yrDR_zuk/s1600-h/Destruction+by+Daabon.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN5cHzhGnUlJXNDAVfqNnJ3KOhik0UJKw_etxCvEawI1V9lQObI3KnlblJcF0rwWovLe8Z8qyg3J_qY8lgR3z354j8WwoggoFhyRY2mwnVktbYLLfVOtYHWx1gI30g_hMOI74yrDR_zuk/s320/Destruction+by+Daabon.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391082958415392978" /></a><br />Dear friends,<br /><br /> The Daabon company had 123 families (more than 500 people) evicted from the Las Pavas farm in the state of Bolivar on July 14. The company is cutting down trees and planting palm where the peasant farmers had been growing food for their families. I participated in a Christian Peacemaker Team delegation that visited the community from September 26 to 29 and witnessed the destruction caused by Daabon.<br /><br /> Daabon claims to be a socially and environmentally responsible leader in organic agriculture. The company sells The Body Shop ninety percent of the palm oil used in the production of their soaps. The Body Shop portrays itself as protecting the planet and defending human rights.<br /><br /> Leaders of the Las Pavas women’s association told us how they were evicted from their land. Approximately 200 children and 300 adults were at the Las Pavas farm on July 14. The police arrived around 8 A.M. They were accompanied by several armed men, dressed in civilian clothes and with cameras. The riot police arrived two hours later. The police encircled the farm and began closing in on the community members, with the riot police beating their clubs against their shields. They stopped just a few feet away from the people of Las Pavas.<br /><br /> Police overturned the community’s containers of drinking water and pots of cooked food. Various people told us that it appeared the police were trying to provoke a reaction that would then be filmed by the men with cameras. Around 4 P.M., the police threatened the community – if the people didn’t leave peacefully, they would be forcibly removed. In the face of that overwhelming force, the community decided to abandon their farm.<br /><br /> The people were not allowed to return to their fields and their 150 acres of food crops (squash, yuca, and corn) have been destroyed. Fourteen houses that were used to shelter farmers and their harvests were knocked down, carried away, and set on fire. Large trees have been chopped down, cut apart, and used to fill in wetlands. <br /><br /> The members of the Buenos Aires Peasant Association began working communally on the Las Pavas farm in 1997. The farm is located two miles from the community of Buenos Aires and had been abandoned by the previous owner, Emilio Escobar. Colombian law enables people to take possession and use abandoned land, and to then receive legal title to that land. The Colombian Institute for Rural Development (the government agency responsible for that process) visited Las Pavas in June 2006 and verified that the land had been occupied and farmed by the peasants.<br /><br /> After that visit, Escobar came to the farm with a group of armed men and threatened the peasants. A paramilitary group also went to the farm in late 2006 and issued a threat – if the people didn’t leave, their family members could be killed. The peasants abandoned the farm and two Daabon subsidiaries (C.I. Tequendama and Aportes San Isidro) signed a contract with Escobar a few months later. On January 15 of this year, the people returned to Las Pavas to begin planting their food crops. Daabon sought a court order to have them evicted and the police carried out that eviction on July 14. <br /><br /> Seventy percent of the arable land in El Penon county (where Las Pavas is located) is now planted in palm – primarily to produce fuel. The community asked us to film the destruction caused by the palm companies in the area. The companies have acquired large amounts of land and are draining the swamps and wetlands to plant palm. <br /><br /> We traveled along a raised roadway to a point where we could see a beautiful body of water on one side of the road – the Elubero swamp. Another body of water, the Escondida swamp, used to exist on the other side of the road. A channel had been dug from the swamp to the road, two large pipes placed under the roadway, and another channel dug from the road to the Solera river branch - draining the entire swamp. There are now rows of palm plants growing on that land.<br /><br /> The plantation on that side of the road represents the Colombian government’s vision for this region. There are already 190,000 acres of palm plantations in the Middle Magdalena river valley, and the government plans to have 1.7 million acres of palm here by 2018. The swamp and wetlands on the other side of the road represent the Buenos Aires Peasant Association’s vision for the region – preserving what remains of the natural environment and using agricultural land to produce food for the people.<br /><br /> In love and solidarity,<br /><br /> CJ <br /><br />P.S. Photos of some of the Las Pavas families and the destruction caused by Daabon:Colombian Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105005895979262918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2039598929936606225.post-51454529034053848752009-09-20T14:07:00.000-07:002009-09-20T14:10:06.925-07:00Memories of Arauca<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIyBpmrIJ66Ii-2TazdjitCa_Aj9f4oyxLW4I1iHWpR2foVpr6mu6IfUODCsasJ7CTv4Eb-Kc_fnylJuL1aiJsLgWBDfoQeYSEwEjWdRFkCW6KdcZpdcVLMlQDsd_61E2_sC1Tk6s5Lvk/s1600-h/Martin.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIyBpmrIJ66Ii-2TazdjitCa_Aj9f4oyxLW4I1iHWpR2foVpr6mu6IfUODCsasJ7CTv4Eb-Kc_fnylJuL1aiJsLgWBDfoQeYSEwEjWdRFkCW6KdcZpdcVLMlQDsd_61E2_sC1Tk6s5Lvk/s320/Martin.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383659509132951074" /></a><br />Dear friends,<br /><br /> After living for three years in the state of Arauca, I joined the Christian Peacemaker Team here in the city of Barrancabermeja on September 16. I’ll be returning to Arauca occasionally to visit friends and I’d like to share with you now a few of my favorite memories of that very beautiful and afflicted region.<br /><br /> Martin Sandoval and 13 other people were arrested for “rebellion” in the town of Arauquita on November 4, 2008. Martin is the president of the Permanent Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Arauca. The Committee organized a public hearing of the Congressional Human Rights Commission in Arauquita on July 31, 2008. More than 500 people attended that hearing during which Martin and other community leaders denounced the abuses committed by the army and police. Leaders of the Committee felt that Martin’s imprisonment was in retaliation for organizing the hearing. <br /><br /> I visited Martin twice in the Arauca City prison. “As a human rights defender in Colombia, the least that you can expect is to be imprisoned” he said. “This is a beautiful experience. We share everything with each other here.” He and the 13 others remained united, worked with a lawyer that provided a joint defense for all of them, and were finally released on May 14. I called Martin the following evening when he was at the welcome home celebration in Arauquita. He expressed his appreciation for my support and said, “You’re part of this family.”<br /><br /> When I returned to Arauquita in March (after being in the U.S. for two months), I received a wonderful welcome from many people there. Some of those friends were the man who repairs shoes in front of the church (we joke that he’s performing surgery); Maria who bakes pizza in a cart by the park, along with the group that congregates with her in the evening (Colorado who sells lottery tickets, and Jaime who has a repair shop but is also a painter and philosopher); and the man at the produce store who always calls my name and gives me the thumbs-up when I walk by. At the start of mass that evening, Father Fernando announced “We’re very glad to have with us again the best human rights defender around here.”<br /><br /> Alejandra was two years old when I moved to the town of Saravena in 2006. She lived a block away, and she would wave and call out “Gringo!” whenever I walked by. One evening when she was three, she ran down to the corner to meet me and was so excited that she started skipping back to her house. That seemed like an excellent idea to me and I began skipping alongside her in the street. This turned into our evening ritual and we would skip together along the entire block.<br /><br /> Unfortunately, after Alejandra turned four she became too self-conscious to continue skipping (I hope she grows out of that by the time she reaches my age). After several skip-less months, a young girl who lives across the street from Alejandra called out to me one evening and started skipping. She had seen our previous ritual and wanted to join in the fun. I crossed the street and we skipped together to the corner. She and a younger friend became my new skipping buddies and the evening ritual was revived. <br /><br /> On that same block, there’s a taxi driver that works the Saravena-Arauquita route and I’ve traveled with him various times. I saw him in front of his home one afternoon and he asked, with a smile, “Are you still skipping?”<br /><br /> In love and solidarity,<br /><br /> CJ <br /><br />Photo of Martin during a visit to the Arauca City prison that was organized by the Permanent Committee for the Defense of Human Rights on October 10, 2008 – one month prior to his arrest:Colombian Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105005895979262918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2039598929936606225.post-70701885100569015482009-07-04T11:55:00.000-07:002009-07-04T12:00:45.418-07:00Gunshots, explosions and fear<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNHolSx9g0V3f6c62ZAWZzE1I83ht28ZcNDG3uw1li-ZX_QOyhA_jA4A_TSi3T17jp_ZlbEIkd_thMs5wixms6S9R13gaSsvwTv0sMWIedDiHE8TvNH8Adw3Uy-JjRoAL2H1n-b0eefSk/s1600-h/Filipinas+1.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNHolSx9g0V3f6c62ZAWZzE1I83ht28ZcNDG3uw1li-ZX_QOyhA_jA4A_TSi3T17jp_ZlbEIkd_thMs5wixms6S9R13gaSsvwTv0sMWIedDiHE8TvNH8Adw3Uy-JjRoAL2H1n-b0eefSk/s320/Filipinas+1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354681577814074418" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmxJ_NXstp0hqFPWkaxhhrVOFRgzf1dX_0Z7TUjRXQF8zrxQsLFtGIrEHhJcdnWT7MDnJGS5l8BHm5CMFMtCaRhHCrnjMqRjNIr5ZsKYhywoQIjKmPZvMkOPxauGdGbqfnWtzXtgr8-wg/s1600-h/Filipinas+2.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmxJ_NXstp0hqFPWkaxhhrVOFRgzf1dX_0Z7TUjRXQF8zrxQsLFtGIrEHhJcdnWT7MDnJGS5l8BHm5CMFMtCaRhHCrnjMqRjNIr5ZsKYhywoQIjKmPZvMkOPxauGdGbqfnWtzXtgr8-wg/s320/Filipinas+2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354681568866669186" /></a><br />Dear friends,<br /><br /> We heard gunshots as we were having dinner in the community of Filipinas (Arauca) on June 25. FARC guerrillas were attacking the soldiers that had arrived in town that morning. I looked at my watch and noted that it was 5:12 P.M. – something concrete to focus on in order to avoid the fear that I was feeling.<br /><br /> The bursts of gunfire were becoming longer and the direction of the sound was changing. It seemed as though the shots were coming closer. There was a particularly long, and ugly, burst of automatic rifle fire. At one point, shots were fired in the plantain grove – 100 yards away.<br /><br /> We also heard explosions which could have been army mortars or guerrilla cylinder bombs. The guerrillas sometimes launch propane cylinders filled with shrapnel – deadly devices that often veer off course and miss their intended target. <br /><br /> A group of soldiers had set up camp in the neighboring house – 50 feet away. I was afraid that the explosions could have been cylinder bombs and that the guerrillas would attempt to hit the army encampment. I counted the explosions (something else to focus on) and noted 16. <br /><br /> “My God! My God!” cried the woman who had invited us for dinner. “Why don’t they just leave?” she said in relation to the soldiers. She was also afraid that their presence would draw bullets or bombs. <br /><br /> I motioned a few times to my friend Nidia and mouthed, “Let’s get on the ground!” but she and the others didn’t seem to think that was necessary. We heard some more shots and I finally said to everyone, “You can stay seated, but I’m going to get down on the ground.” I then laid down on the dirt underneath the table. The family puppy joined me and I nicknamed the two of us, “The Brave Ones.” The sight of the gringo and the puppy provided some comic relief and, at that point, the gunfire and explosions ended. <br /><br /> I dusted myself off and we walked to the center of the community. Gunfire sounded again while I was inside a small store. This time I didn’t hesitate – I immediately laid down on the floor. I looked at my watch and noted that it was 6:03 P.M. <br /><br /> A helicopter came and circled overhead five minutes later. A roar of machinegun fire came from the helicopter – the ugliest sound I’ve heard in my life. I looked behind me and saw Nidia crouched underneath a table with her son Brandon, who was crying. One of the bullet cases tore through the metal roof of a house fifty yards away and landed on the ground a few feet from a mother and child (see attached photos).<br /><br /> The following morning we learned that four soldiers had been seriously wounded in the attack. The troop commander came to talk with us and we expressed our sorrow for those soldiers. We stated our concern that the ongoing presence of soldiers in the community, and encamped in people’s homes, was putting the civilian population at risk. The guerrillas were also endangering civilians by attacking the soldiers inside the community.<br /><br /> We had traveled to Filipinas for a human rights workshop organized by the Arauca Peasant Association (ACA). The workshop was suspended because of the danger posed by the presence of the soldiers and guerrillas. The troop commander told Nidia, the workshop facilitator and me that we would have to leave the area. Before leaving, we went to the home of the ACA president – at least ten soldiers were encamped around the house.<br /><br /> Gunshots rang out again about half an hour after we left Filipinas. The ACA president’s horse was struck by one of the bullets and killed.<br /><br /> I’ve been experiencing a growing commitment to the non-violent struggle for justice. The actions of both the guerrillas and the soldiers put the children and adults in Filipinas at grave risk. Seeing their fear, and experiencing my own fear, has deepened my opposition to the blind hatred embodied in the barrel of a gun. <br /><br /> In love and solidarity,<br /><br /> CJ<br /><br />Photos of metal roof and bullet case (approximately four inches long):Colombian Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105005895979262918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2039598929936606225.post-4577173059022672442009-06-20T14:39:00.000-07:002009-06-20T14:43:38.434-07:00Terror of the "people's army"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKww894GIg58kaamJWVgdWj8kQ8mtbx3eK2OBW3-yQDL9ZEPJQORmQ4ZBbigmHjabpmhJOEpcnRpHpOjLIkPlou3Jf2AJmGv__J_a9Cm2Mp8V7a3hEgyJjQVGwBC274FDRHqWUa8HIHYs/s1600-h/Jorge.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 223px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKww894GIg58kaamJWVgdWj8kQ8mtbx3eK2OBW3-yQDL9ZEPJQORmQ4ZBbigmHjabpmhJOEpcnRpHpOjLIkPlou3Jf2AJmGv__J_a9Cm2Mp8V7a3hEgyJjQVGwBC274FDRHqWUa8HIHYs/s320/Jorge.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349528647691148370" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiij3unHOzjqddeX1P2025VC2OcSS7jvfLXDlQ8Kbu6fA8bIfYY7c73DAcsxrBwGekkSwsqg3Yjfl6loLUFHfJOkOowhw2wZAcZtM7mcyk3llHITkZhNHWqqWbLUcRM4PCjdKwhNa6AZl4/s1600-h/Andrea.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 253px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiij3unHOzjqddeX1P2025VC2OcSS7jvfLXDlQ8Kbu6fA8bIfYY7c73DAcsxrBwGekkSwsqg3Yjfl6loLUFHfJOkOowhw2wZAcZtM7mcyk3llHITkZhNHWqqWbLUcRM4PCjdKwhNa6AZl4/s320/Andrea.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349528649432428402" /></a><br />Dear friends,<br /><br /> The “Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army” (FARC) guerrillas murdered two teachers here in the state of Arauca during the week of June 8. I traveled to Arauca City on June 12 for their wakes – which were held in the Arauca Teachers Union auditorium. <br /><br /> Pablo Rodriguez, of the Sikuani people, taught in the indigenous school in Marrero. He was murdered in his classroom by the FARC on June 9. Because of the difficult access to that community, his body wasn’t recovered until two days later. When I arrived in Arauca City, the wake had finished and the funeral procession was marching to the cemetery. <br /><br /> Humberto Echeverri taught for 18 years in the community of Los Colonos and he was with his students on June 11. The Social Pastorate program of the Catholic Church has a nutrition and community garden program in Los Colonos, and they were monitoring the weights of the children. FARC guerrillas came into the school and told Humberto they needed to speak with him. They led him away, prevented the people from following, and then killed him. <br /><br /> The wake for Humberto began shortly after I arrived at the union office. I heard a woman crying out and I followed her cries into the auditorium. Arelis, who is eight-months pregnant, was leaning over the coffin of her spouse. She was accompanied by their two children - Jorge and Andrea. <br /><br /> Jorge told me that he is six-and-a-half years old. “The FARC took him a long ways away,” he said. “There were three shots – one in the air and two at my papa. It’s sad.” Andrea said that she will turn ten this month and I could see the tears in her eyes.<br /><br /> Humberto was another victim of the war between the two guerrilla groups, FARC and ELN (“National Army of Liberation”), in Arauca. That war began in late 2005 and it appears to be escalating once again. The FARC and ELN both profess to be fighting for social justice but here in Arauca they’re acting just like the paramilitary death squads – threatening and killing civilians that they view as supporting the other side. Their war is solely about the control of territory and resources in Arauca. <br /><br /> More than 350 civilians have been killed as a result of that war and thousands of people have fled from their homes. The FARC and ELN have now caused more damage to the Arauca social movement than the military and their paramilitary allies were able to accomplish in two decades.<br /><br /> Teachers and other community leaders in Arauca are afraid for their lives. The FARC has threatened various teachers. The ELN also threatened people prior to the murders of Pablo and Humberto – stating that if the FARC killed anyone, the ELN would respond by killing two or more people that they view as supporting the FARC. <br /><br /> The mid-year school vacation began on June 12 and extends until July 5. Several teachers are unsure about whether they will return to their schools after vacation. Twenty four teachers have been killed in Arauca during the past eight years. <br /><br /> The FARC also distributed a written death threat in late May in which they declared the Arauca State Peasant Association (ADUC) and the Regional Student and Youth Association (ASOJER) to be “military targets.” I live in the social organizations building in Saravena which houses the offices of ADUC and ASOJER. <br /><br /> My friend Robinson spent 18 months in prison for “rebellion” and he was the only person I talked with at the wake that still exhibited some hope. He said, “We have to transform our difficulties into something beautiful.” <br /><br /> In love and solidarity,<br /><br /> Scott<br /><br />Photos of Jorge at the wake and Andrea during the mass:Colombian Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105005895979262918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2039598929936606225.post-87082261209621295602009-03-24T15:51:00.001-07:002009-03-24T15:59:02.743-07:00Armed transportation stoppage<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRBadJ8HViNSwXDOISoX1gPZt5odE_oMgcbbBiQi9YXf5XcaqOZnr3y1N-58CQpxJWa8pZ3Pe_JI0wZ4oHBY1ropYeXQqDYk-b9zIit_1Su-BQELTD0Rx5KzdzIgK2Tdx0yUh-VsBe_js/s1600-h/Arauquita.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 161px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRBadJ8HViNSwXDOISoX1gPZt5odE_oMgcbbBiQi9YXf5XcaqOZnr3y1N-58CQpxJWa8pZ3Pe_JI0wZ4oHBY1ropYeXQqDYk-b9zIit_1Su-BQELTD0Rx5KzdzIgK2Tdx0yUh-VsBe_js/s320/Arauquita.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316892573690633618" /></a><br />Dear friends,<br /><br />The “Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army” (FARC) declared an armed transportation stoppage here in the state of Arauca that is causing hardship for the people they claim to be defending. FARC guerrillas called the transport companies on March 16 and threatened to burn their vehicles if they didn’t obey the order to halt transportation. <br /> <br />I’m currently in the town of Arauquita – which lies along the highway that runs through the north of Arauca. The route to Saravena (35 miles west) was the first to be suspended early on the morning of March 16. The last taxi for Arauca City (65 miles east) left town around 2:30 that afternoon. Two armed men on a motorcycle halted a bus on the highway that day and forced it to turn back. <br /> <br />There are no longer any taxis circulating in Arauquita. The motorized canoes that take people across the Arauca River to La Victoria in Venezuela have also been suspended. School bus service in the towns of La Esmeralda and Fortul was suspended this morning due to threats from the FARC. Local stores are running out of fruit and vegetables, and the remaining food is increasing in price because of the scarcity. <br /> <br />Defense Minister Juan Santos flew to Arauca City on March 16 for a public meeting about the security situation in Arauca. Government authorities decided to fine the transport companies that are refusing to risk their drivers and vehicles during the stoppage. The military and police also announced that they were launching “Plan Meteor” to prevent the guerrillas from paralyzing transportation.<br /> <br />FARC guerrillas have burned a cargo truck and a tanker truck, halted a vehicle on the Arauca-Tame highway and placed it across the roadway blocking traffic, attacked a tractor-trailer, and also attacked a caravan of oilfield workers. <br /> <br />The military and police launched the “Arauca Moves” plan on March 17. The plan consists of armed escort for transportation caravans. One caravan of vehicles leaves Arauca City every morning for Arauquita, Saravena, Fortul and Tame. Another caravan travels daily from Tame to Arauca City. The caravans are accompanied by a large contingent of soldiers, police and secret police. Three of the caravans have been attacked by the FARC. <br /> <br />The United Nations’ World Food Program planned to deliver food supplements for pregnant women and nursing mothers, and children at risk of malnutrition, in Arauquita on March 19. The delivery was cancelled because the food packets couldn’t be brought here due to the transportation stoppage.<br /> <br />According to United Nations’ reports, FARC commanders ordered the “Black March” campaign (which includes the stoppage in Arauca) to commemorate the death of three of their top leaders in March 2008. Raul Reyes, the second-in-command, was killed along with 25 other people when his camp inside Ecuador was bombed by the Colombian military on March 1. Ivan Rios was killed on March 3 by his own bodyguard, who then cut off Rios’ hand to present to the government as proof to collect the reward money. Manuel Marulanda, the legendary leader of the FARC, died of natural causes on March 26 – after fighting against the Colombian government for more than 50 years.<br /> <br />The vast majority of people here in Arauquita have no idea why the FARC is imposing this transportation stoppage – they just want it to end soon. According to those same UN reports, the stoppage is going to continue until March 30. <br /> <br />In love and solidarity,<br />CJ<br /><br />Photo of the main street in Arauquita at 8:30 A.M. on March 18. There are usually ten or more taxis gathered on that block – providing transportation in town, and to Saravena and Arauca City.Colombian Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105005895979262918noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2039598929936606225.post-68737796473131705662009-03-17T08:29:00.001-07:002009-03-24T16:02:08.540-07:00Free at last!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SUp2uU756OwA0vd_pmUkHkDxLMnqN_Kccp5VYl76Slsm75dJvAdfB9nvdUduZOvBXoH7WA1Q4Wr1Id68WyEbAil3Auu6xIOfOr-8jTariCrtCAR9BnG07dCbYKlRjmEXa1Mad20QqDw/s1600-h/Flor.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 269px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SUp2uU756OwA0vd_pmUkHkDxLMnqN_Kccp5VYl76Slsm75dJvAdfB9nvdUduZOvBXoH7WA1Q4Wr1Id68WyEbAil3Auu6xIOfOr-8jTariCrtCAR9BnG07dCbYKlRjmEXa1Mad20QqDw/s320/Flor.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316893431453547506" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBFStOPTVto7jGv9lH6dp30DP5qnOaUflTKxDz19JdKl95nQZ_4ed0rmunLBDAww_6brbbm5Ftqu9T8FdPFmWaPDMaiyRbCnlUdTBq1GBuVCFxu7k3WatDInqWXfXIRMUOM3ZbTmpBJYE/s1600-h/Flor+%26+Camila.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBFStOPTVto7jGv9lH6dp30DP5qnOaUflTKxDz19JdKl95nQZ_4ed0rmunLBDAww_6brbbm5Ftqu9T8FdPFmWaPDMaiyRbCnlUdTBq1GBuVCFxu7k3WatDInqWXfXIRMUOM3ZbTmpBJYE/s320/Flor+%26+Camila.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316893423709024642" /></a><br />Dear friends, <br /> <br />My friend Flor Diaz was released from the Arauca City prison last month and was finally able to return to her home here in Arauquita. We went out on the Arauca River with her youngest children, Viviana and Fernando, on March 10 to watch the herons returning to roost for the evening. There were hundreds of herons in the trees along the river and it was wonderful to enjoy that beauty and freedom with her.<br /> <br />Flor spent three years and four days in prison for “rebellion.” She was the secretary general of the Arauca Peasant Association and she told me that she was imprisoned because of her work in support of human rights. “I can’t ignore the suffering of others,” she said.<br /> <br />Marcela, her oldest daughter, was 18 years old when Flor was detained by the secret police on February 14, 2006. Marcela had to assume the responsibility for her three siblings: Viviana (who was just 8 years old), Fernando and Edwin. “It was very hard when they would call me and tell me there wasn’t any food in the house,” Flor said. “I would ask myself, ‘What can I do?’” <br /> <br />Flor worked for 14 years as a health practitioner in the rural communities of Arauca and also served as a catechist. She continued with her vocations while she was in prison. She would care for the other prisoners when they were ill, and she also helped organize prayer and mass.<br /> <br />“Suffering makes you strong,” Flor said. “If you’ve never suffered, you can’t be strong. I would get very disappointed when I received bad news about my case. I would argue with God: ‘You abandoned me! I don’t want anything more to do with you!’ But then I would remember the gift of my children.”<br /> <br />Flor’s first grandchild, Camila, was born on December 20, 2006. “I saw her for the first time on January 21, 2007,” said Flor. Marcela would take Camila to visit Flor in prison every three months. “For the first two years of her life, ‘Grandmother’s house’ was the largest mansion in Arauca,” Marcela said jokingly.<br /> <br />Being in prison for three years was a very hard experience but it’s also an adjustment being outside of prison after all that time. “I couldn’t see long distance,” Flor said, because there aren’t any open views in the prison. “I also wasn’t used to the noise in town. All I heard in my cell was the sound of the fan.”<br /> <br />Flor told me about a conversation she had recently with a fellow prisoner who had also just been released. They talked about the process of adjustment. Flor said to him, “I’m not doing well either (she’s unemployed and in debt), but I am free.” <br /> <br />As we were alongside the river, Flor explained “Oil and war are the cause of poverty here. What do we get from supplying the war machine?: widows and poverty. We’re going to stop supplying that machine. It already has enough. Let’s look at the situation of poverty and invest that money to meet the needs of the people.” <br /> <br />In love and solidarity,<br />CJ <br /><br />Photos of Flor with her granddaughter, Camila; and by the Arauca River at sunset:Colombian Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105005895979262918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2039598929936606225.post-46159974219368307762008-12-14T08:50:00.000-08:002008-12-14T09:00:43.375-08:00Becoming a godparent<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixxVqv_oox37ndnN_yNe2QU8juZueMH1y-lwupt17q1VZoS2NWiARaC75pNX8mmSqd5DaroU6D9Wb0q9SsgiGPBKEQN1APnwQTvWptj_Eoi-bkhiHI6A1V7hrHZ-ByXC9y1gzDWvzvsvI/s1600-h/Family.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixxVqv_oox37ndnN_yNe2QU8juZueMH1y-lwupt17q1VZoS2NWiARaC75pNX8mmSqd5DaroU6D9Wb0q9SsgiGPBKEQN1APnwQTvWptj_Eoi-bkhiHI6A1V7hrHZ-ByXC9y1gzDWvzvsvI/s320/Family.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279691771964447074" /></a><br />Dear friends,<br /><br /> My friends Alba and Eulices asked me to be the godfather for their son Kuss Bryan, who was baptized on December 8 (see attached photo). It was a joy and an honor to become part of their family that day. <br /><br /> Alba is an amazingly strong and resilient person. Her left shoulder was shattered in the bombing of Santo Domingo in December 1998 when she was 16 years old, her father was killed by FARC guerrillas in March 2006, and her spouse Eulices was imprisoned during the mass arrest in Fortul in August 2006.<br /><br /> Residents of Santo Domingo were holding a bazaar on December 13, 1998 to raise funds for their community. Planes and helicopters began circling overhead and the people gathered on the highway that runs through town, waving white cloths to indicate that they were civilians. Two cluster bombs were dropped alongside the highway – killing 17 people (including seven children) and wounding 25 others. Yesterday was the commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the bombing. <br /><br /> Shrapnel from the bombs tore into Alba’s shoulder and into the right leg of her sister, Xiomara. As we sat in their kitchen after the baptism, they began talking about that day. “We’re lucky to be alive” said Alba. Xiomara then showed me the large scar on her upper leg. <br /><br /> Wilson Garcia, their father, was the community president. “There wasn’t a phone in Santo Domingo,” said Alba, “so he went to Betoyes (when the planes began flying overhead) to call the Red Cross. He saw us as he was coming back and we were leaving on the truck with the wounded. He didn’t know which one of us he should attend to first.”<br /><br /> The cluster bombs were manufactured in the U.S. and the coordinates for the bombing were given by U.S. crew members operating a surveillance plane for AirScan. Occidental Petroleum (based in Los Angeles) contracted AirScan (based in Florida) to provide security for the pipeline that transports oil from Occidental’s Cano Limon oilfield in the state of Arauca to the Caribbean coast. I found myself thinking about those connections as I looked at the scar on Xiomara’s leg.<br /><br /> I met Wilson my first day here in Saravena in June 2004. I was impressed by his soft-spoken manner and deep commitment to his community. He told me what had happened to Alba and Xiomara, and it was obvious that he loved them both very much. Two years later, on March 22, 2006, Wilson was killed by the FARC. As Alba and Xiomara talked to me about their father, tears welled up in their eyes.<br /><br /> Alba gave birth to her first child, Kuss, on December 1, 2005. Eight months later, Eulices was arrested along with 15 other people in Fortul. I met Eulices in Arauca City when I traveled there with a human rights lawyer, two days after the arrests, to visit the prisoners. I met Alba two weeks later when she came to the Joel Sierra Human Rights Foundation office in Saravena to discuss his case. <br /><br /> Eulices was charged with rebellion and terrorism, and the prosecutor’s office alleged that he was an ELN militia member and recruiting for the FARC – not a very plausible accusation given the fight between those two guerrilla groups in Arauca. He was in prison on Kuss’ first birthday and he was finally released on June 9, 2007. <br /><br /> After Kuss was baptized, Eulices turned to me and called me “Compadre” (the godfather of my child). During the reception in their home, Alba also started calling me Compadre. I expressed my appreciation to them for inviting me to be Kuss’ godfather and Alba responded, “We couldn’t think of a better person.” <br /><br /> In love and solidarity,<br /><br /> CJColombian Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105005895979262918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2039598929936606225.post-78420176326070381962008-12-04T07:56:00.000-08:002008-12-04T08:05:14.051-08:00Death of a friend<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT8ErpceLRsdvlaX1T92AqxfC94nMX8ptXX0fn1gHzC0DfV3yEYd3qOZCkVxswBrD9LC039le70mL-OJTto23aQrmi5O6px-ND_zIGybtJizeF0HL52DwgUGMdf88abyEm_KRdOsBQ2O4/s1600-h/Clara+%26+Luz.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275965521834879186" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 231px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT8ErpceLRsdvlaX1T92AqxfC94nMX8ptXX0fn1gHzC0DfV3yEYd3qOZCkVxswBrD9LC039le70mL-OJTto23aQrmi5O6px-ND_zIGybtJizeF0HL52DwgUGMdf88abyEm_KRdOsBQ2O4/s320/Clara+%26+Luz.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIeSaDrXnVNuztSTW-AEJ7iZFCs2yK0SZb9dBvxYPNJZeXVn2nEe-qr4MjDSbOk4hwTmNawXlTubcWBc2IP3cSiPrGbQ0MPgEL7O9ZFdH3xxhbVsbNgHkev9VsBryXCPHjNAD0FrpFXoI/s1600-h/Isabel.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275965521416216258" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIeSaDrXnVNuztSTW-AEJ7iZFCs2yK0SZb9dBvxYPNJZeXVn2nEe-qr4MjDSbOk4hwTmNawXlTubcWBc2IP3cSiPrGbQ0MPgEL7O9ZFdH3xxhbVsbNgHkev9VsBryXCPHjNAD0FrpFXoI/s320/Isabel.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Dear friends,<br /></div><div>My friend Carlos Cabrera was killed in Arauquita on November 28. He was forcibly removed from his home, taken to the outskirts of town, and then shot and killed. He was the secretary general of the Arauquita Displaced Persons Association, which represents people who have been forced to flee from their homes because of the violence. He had a spouse and two young daughters, and it appears that he was killed by ELN guerrillas.<br /></div><div>The situation here in the state of Arauca is deteriorating rapidly. The week before Carlos was killed, an explosive was set off in the entrance of the social organizations building in Saravena – shattering windows on the first and second floors. A fragmentation grenade was thrown over the front gate of the Saravena Community Water Company on November 25 – causing slight damage to the exterior of the building. Eight people were killed, and two people were wounded, between November 23 and 29 in Arauca (total population is less than 300,000 people).<br /></div><div>The two guerrilla groups in Arauca (FARC and ELN) have been fighting against each other for the past three years, and that conflict is worsening. Both groups have targeted civilians that they view as supporting the other side. Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands have had to flee from their homes in the countryside.<br /></div><div>I traveled in a bus filled with Carlos’ friends from Arauquita to Fortul for the wake and funeral on November 30. I met his spouse Luz Mila and their two daughters – Luz Linney (8 years old) and Clara Lisbet (3 years old).<br /></div><div>I was overwhelmed by the intelligence and insight of Luz Linney. She came up to me and very politely asked if she could ask me a question. She wanted to know where I was from and I responded by asking if it looked to her like I was from Colombia – which elicited a smile and laughter.<br /></div><div>She asked me later on why I was taking so many photos and if I was a reporter. I told her that I’m somewhat like a reporter in that I send reports to people in the United States about life here in Arauca.<br /></div><div>The next day, she sat down next to me and said, “Yesterday was hard. Today is better...How have things been going for you?” She then asked if people in Colombia receive my reports. She has relatives in Bogotá who weren’t able to attend the funeral and she was concerned that they would see the photos. “If they see the photos, they’ll be very sad,” she told me.<br /></div><div>She then asked to see the photos. Some of the images reflect intense pain and sadness, and at one point I told her we could look at the photos some other time. “Let’s keep going,” she replied.<br /></div><div>After we looked at all the photos, she said “You didn’t get a photo of my uncle when he was crying so hard.” I replied that I try to take a few photos that show people’s emotions but I also try to respect their privacy (a balance that is difficult to achieve). She seemed to understand because she said, “Some of the photos are sad, some are happy, and some are neither one nor the other.” We then looked at a few of the photos in reverse order as she told me which were sad, happy, or neither one.<br /></div><div>The conversation with Luz Linney took place in the home of Maria Ruth (where I stay in Arauquita). Maria Ruth and Carlos were close friends, and she is very concerned that she and her spouse Armando could also be targeted by the ELN. Maria Ruth is the Arauquita representative of the Permanent Committee for the Defense of Human Rights, a member of the Arauquita municipal council, and a leader of the Democratic Alternative Pole opposition party. She traveled to Montana and the Northwest for a speaking tour in April. Maria Ruth and her family will be leaving Arauca for a while because of the increasing threat against them.<br /></div><div>In love and solidarity,<br /></div><div>CJ<br /></div><div>Photos of Clara Lisbet and Luz Linney the day after the funeral, and Carlos’ mother (on right) and a friend during the wake:</div></div>Colombian Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105005895979262918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2039598929936606225.post-70004599439697829762008-11-20T10:19:00.000-08:002008-11-29T09:43:30.679-08:00Explosion targets our home<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRg5PhJY5hltZSqnElLodS-L8Hz7FYI1WNIbNhub3mrskel3g6h0bzhHW0egpeoZ2bFpfKbYCN44wPy6YHlfSN4baZHoMEJ-8lBP6QFTPKiB0MaUBc_Fpj9mnqZjzD_DEc9U5nPe8011Y/s1600-h/Explosion+1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271920808030872290" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 214px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRg5PhJY5hltZSqnElLodS-L8Hz7FYI1WNIbNhub3mrskel3g6h0bzhHW0egpeoZ2bFpfKbYCN44wPy6YHlfSN4baZHoMEJ-8lBP6QFTPKiB0MaUBc_Fpj9mnqZjzD_DEc9U5nPe8011Y/s320/Explosion+1.JPG" border="0" /></a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271920805185444882" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 214px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWtAd5foCLwuyTxVCragydrkiWs2X4jwjMy-twbm4KsCpz1U9Jjj57mHViDDuhFH7aPVPOlHfuv0zwY8-WrGAkM8DbYXhhIISka8ErT7sAtUzyOSiE5l_GHeVUSDW-IqNSuK7JlnElh-w/s320/Explosion+2.JPG" border="0" /><span lang="EN-US">Dear friends,<?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></span> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">Last night at 8:35 P.M., an explosive was set-off in the entrance of the social organizations building where I live in Saravena. No one was hurt but windows were shattered on the first and second floors of the building. I was in Arauquita at the time and I returned here early this morning.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">The explosive didn’t contain any shrapnel and it appears that the intention was to scare and intimidate us, rather than hurt anyone. Leaders of the social organizations that operate in the building believe that the explosive was set-off either by a FARC guerrilla or a government agent.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">The guerrillas of the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) and the ELN (National Army of Liberation) have been fighting against each other for the past three years here in the state of Arauca. Both groups profess to be fighting against the Colombian government to achieve social justice, but their conflict in Arauca is solely about the control of territory and economic resources. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">In addition to killing each other, the FARC and ELN have also been operating like death squads in Arauca – displacing and killing civilians that they view as supporting the other side. They’ve also created a situation in which anyone could take action (set-off an explosive or kill someone) and make it look like it was part of the fight between the two groups.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">The social organizations building is located in the center of Saravena – one-and-a-half blocks from a police guard post, two-and-a-half blocks from another guard post, and just four blocks from the police station.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">The various social organizations have written public denunciations about the explosion and are determined to continue forward with their non-violent struggle for social justice. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">I’ll be moving to a room on the third floor later today – further away from the street and with bulletproof glass.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">In love and solidarity,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size:+0;"></span>CJ<br /><o:p></o:p></span></p>Colombian Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105005895979262918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2039598929936606225.post-65902281656814961992008-11-17T11:37:00.000-08:002008-11-23T11:45:26.505-08:00March for Freedom<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXoOaBJuTvIgvqZ2qa4expFi9l3fKWySYmBM-4oy8Mg6bP9rl1PQX3eUVTcQAxXi3n_x-PP6XZrig6JFEhtFMpMRla2uJinUmipoP_jaTIWrPvxRCU3ZtU8vAloIBtom5eQyJG1qbTBck/s1600-h/Ingrid+%26+Christian.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXoOaBJuTvIgvqZ2qa4expFi9l3fKWySYmBM-4oy8Mg6bP9rl1PQX3eUVTcQAxXi3n_x-PP6XZrig6JFEhtFMpMRla2uJinUmipoP_jaTIWrPvxRCU3ZtU8vAloIBtom5eQyJG1qbTBck/s320/Ingrid+%26+Christian.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271940523135953682" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuYZoYbSzw0rDjGCLMKVWaTcO5lqF1x0K9jQtzWF4j4H5m3K6ztmy9WP9nGIJtdvEYdxjy3ialT4NwzIS6EYV_bQAoEpxDKm9U62kJO1YdMau3fFB9itqhJaX9GO0BENfUudko4kNoO8I/s1600-h/March.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuYZoYbSzw0rDjGCLMKVWaTcO5lqF1x0K9jQtzWF4j4H5m3K6ztmy9WP9nGIJtdvEYdxjy3ialT4NwzIS6EYV_bQAoEpxDKm9U62kJO1YdMau3fFB9itqhJaX9GO0BENfUudko4kNoO8I/s320/March.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271940515918189490" border="0" /></a><br /><p><span style="" lang="EN-US">Dear friends,<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="" lang="EN-US"> More than 500 people participated in a mass and march in Arauquita on November 11 in protest of the mass arrest that occurred there the week before. Fourteen people were arrested for “rebellion” on November 4 – including Martin Sandoval, president of the Permanent Committee for the Defense of Human Rights (CPDH).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="" lang="EN-US"> The March for Freedom and Dignity began with a mass in the central park. The young priest that welcomed people to the event talked about the need to speak out against the unjust arrests and to overcome the fear that people are feeling now in Arauquita. “It is legitimate to resist any authority that gravely and repeatedly violates the principles of natural law,” stated the other priest during the homily. He also spoke out about “the many problems that this system of brutal capitalism has caused for us.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="" lang="EN-US"> Ingrid stepped onto the stage with her son Christian in her arms after the mass (see attached photo). Her spouse, Jose, was arrested for “rebellion” during the previous mass arrest in Arauquita on January 12. Christian was born three months later on April 21. Ingrid told me “the environment in the Arauca City prison is very oppressive” and, because of that, she has only taken Christian there twice to see his father.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="" lang="EN-US"> Martin wrote a letter from prison that was read before the start of the march. “If having an opinion that differs with the government, and denouncing the abuses that are committed in the name of law and justice is a crime; then they should convict me. But because they don’t have any valid arguments, they will continue using all their tricks to convert lies into absurd truths which not even they, themselves, believe...If we all remain silent; the next victim could be you, a family member, or a good friend.” <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="" lang="EN-US"> The people then marched through the main streets of Arauquita, passing in front of the police station where the 14 people had been taken the week before. Several families carried placards with photos of their loved ones – calling for their immediate release (see attached photo). <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="" lang="EN-US"> I accompanied CPDH leaders a few days later when they visited Martin and the others in the Arauca City prison on November 15. Martin told us that he knew the risks he was facing for defending human rights in the state of Arauca and that he had been prepared psychologically for the likelihood of being imprisoned. “This is a beautiful experience,” he said. “We share everything with each other here.” Martin also stated that the march in Arauquita “inspires us to keep going forward.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="" lang="EN-US"> Guillermo Diaz is the president of the Afro-Colombian association and treasurer of the Laborers’ union in Arauquita. He told me that he has five daughters - including a 2-year-old and a 3-year-old that he and his wife adopted as orphans. The police came to their house at 5:40 A.M. on November 4. He was handcuffed and taken away to the police station, and wasn’t shown an arrest order until two hours later. Guillermo was the sole source of income for the family.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="" lang="EN-US"> Yilmar Mina is a leader of the search and rescue team and a member of the Assembly of God church in Arauquita. The police called him to the station on November 4 with the pretext that they were going to give him radios for the team. When he arrived there at 5:45 P.M. he was arrested. Yilmar and his wife, Lisbeth, have three young children.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="" lang="EN-US"> Martin told us, “We’re paying the price for the public hearing and the visit to the prison.” CPDH helped organize the public hearing of the House of Representatives human rights commission in Arauquita on July 31 and also organized a fiesta for the inmates of the Arauca City prison on October 10.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="" lang="EN-US"> In love and solidarity,<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="" lang="EN-US"> CJ<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="" lang="EN-US">Photos of Ingrid and Christian, and the march in Arauquita – the placard on the left is for Jose Leon; and the placard on the right is for Adan Castellanos, who earned his living by selling bread from a bicycle cart. <o:p></o:p></span></p>Colombian Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105005895979262918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2039598929936606225.post-56602124910706635222008-11-06T12:26:00.000-08:002008-11-23T12:33:24.530-08:00Arrest of a friend<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGvbSAx5Fu2enE_ZINWodNS65SXvLZh3vJigWLkUmLWby2r2fp15U83jM4OtnYMZGjpZ_xd14jpD6AYfOxxU4g6YwjfkL8SfT_P_I9Ksr47_o6wi1ZWMzCz-mEChbZLlF5CZgaN308eqo/s1600-h/Martin.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGvbSAx5Fu2enE_ZINWodNS65SXvLZh3vJigWLkUmLWby2r2fp15U83jM4OtnYMZGjpZ_xd14jpD6AYfOxxU4g6YwjfkL8SfT_P_I9Ksr47_o6wi1ZWMzCz-mEChbZLlF5CZgaN308eqo/s320/Martin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271953658171826066" border="0" /></a><br /><span style=";font-family:";" lang="EN-US">Dear friends,<o:p></o:p></span> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style=";font-family:";" lang="EN-US"> My friend, Martin Sandoval, was arrested along with 13 other people here in the town of Arauquita on November 4. He began a hunger strike the following day in protest of those arrests.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style=";font-family:";" lang="EN-US"> Martin is the president of the Permanent Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in the state of Arauca. He has consistently spoken out against the human rights violations committed by the Colombian government in the state – including mass arrests and the killing of civilians who are then reported as guerrillas killed in combat. He has also forcefully denounced the abuses committed against the civilian population by the FARC and ELN guerrillas in their fight against each other in Arauca. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style=";font-family:";" lang="EN-US"> Martin was arrested just four days after the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, met with human rights activists in Arauca to discuss the difficult situation that they’re confronting in their work. The arrest also occurred just four weeks after the United Nations working group on arbitrary arrests visited Arauca to investigate the mass arrests that have taken place in the state.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style=";font-family:";" lang="EN-US"> The Permanent Committee for the Defense of Human Rights organized a fiesta in the Arauca City prison on October 10 – to provide solidarity for the prisoners and lift their spirits for a few hours. Martin greeted the inmates on behalf of the Committee (see attached photo). He is currently being held in the Arauca City police station and will probably be entering the prison again soon – although, this time, not as a visitor. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style=";font-family:";" lang="EN-US"> The Committee also helped organize a public hearing of the House of Representatives human rights commission in Arauquita on July 31 which was attended by more than 500 people. Martin and other community leaders denounced the persistent violation of human rights in Arauca. The leaders of the Committee believe that his arrest is due, in part, to retaliation for that hearing. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style=";font-family:";" lang="EN-US"> Maria Ruth Sanabria is the Arauquita representative for the Committee, and I organized her Montana and Northwest U.S. speaking tour in April. She called me on November 4 and said “I have bad news for you, my son, Martin has just been arrested,” as her voice began to break. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style=";font-family:";" lang="EN-US"> I arrived in Arauquita two hours later and went to the police station to enquire about Martin. The police commander told me that I couldn’t enter at that moment, but I could come back in 20 minutes at noon. When I returned shortly after noon, the prisoners were being loaded into a truck and were then taken to the Arauquita military base. We arrived at the base in time to see the helicopter land that, a few minutes later, took the prisoners away to the 18th Military Brigade headquarters in Arauca City.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style=";font-family:";" lang="EN-US"> Martin and the others are charged with rebellion, conspiracy and terrorism. The primary “evidence” in many of the previous mass arrests in Arauca has been the testimony of supposed former guerrillas that receive compensation for their collaboration.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style=";font-family:";" lang="EN-US"> Guillermo Diaz was one of the 13 people arrested along with Martin. Guillermo is the treasurer of the Laborer’s union and president of the Afro-Colombian association in Arauquita. Jose Ortiz, a young man who is studying accounting in the National Training Institute, was also arrested. José was the only source of financial support for his elderly mother. Reynel Cifuentes and Olegario Araque, who both have disabilities, were also among those arrested.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style=";font-family:";" lang="EN-US"> The news on the day of the arrests was dominated by the U.S. elections. Our friends from Arauquita, including Martin, want to believe that Barack Obama will represent a change from the policies of George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style=";font-family:";" lang="EN-US"> In love and solidarity,</span><span style=";font-family:";" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style=";font-family:";" lang="EN-US"> CJ</span><span style=";font-family:";" ><o:p></o:p></span></p>Colombian Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105005895979262918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2039598929936606225.post-71794131373525845402008-10-24T12:35:00.000-07:002008-11-24T06:50:05.709-08:00Dancing in prison<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8D_D6LdA2m1O3vU-G9Mrw2D4cKc_eeaHVGVaCTD1q6BCTm36AXPpqeMBENVv5NB36cvisWFsLxpDomdQxbXu17e7CPZtGufkgvfB5FTS4AdrLO0zD8XXgmRr2D3HUWJOY-dMkXFLyL0/s1600-h/Flor.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8D_D6LdA2m1O3vU-G9Mrw2D4cKc_eeaHVGVaCTD1q6BCTm36AXPpqeMBENVv5NB36cvisWFsLxpDomdQxbXu17e7CPZtGufkgvfB5FTS4AdrLO0zD8XXgmRr2D3HUWJOY-dMkXFLyL0/s320/Flor.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271954656729411314" border="0" /></a><p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"> </p><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";" lang="EN-US">Dear friends,<o:p></o:p></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";" lang="EN-US"> I went to a great party in the Arauca City prison on October 10. The Permanent Committee for the Defense of Human Rights organized the fiesta to provide solidarity for the prisoners and lift their spirits for a few hours. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";" lang="EN-US"> More than 60 people traveled to the prison from Arauquita – including two very-talented high school dance troupes and two great musical groups. Packages of food and personal items were delivered to the 87 prisoners from Arauquita, who then decided to share those amongst all the 286 inmates of the prison. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";" lang="EN-US"> Mejia, the MC, organized an impromptu dance contest with the five female prisoners at the party – partnering them with five of their male colleagues. After the contest, the dancers grabbed other partners from the crowd and the party kicked into high gear! <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";" lang="EN-US"> Mejia danced with one of the prisoners and then called me out to finish the song (see attached photo). Later on, we sat down to talk and she told me about her experiences.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";" lang="EN-US"> Flor Díaz is a great dancer, mother of four children, health promoter, devout Catholic, and is serving six-and-a-half years in prison for “rebellion.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";" lang="EN-US"> Flor was the board secretary of the Arauca Peasant Association and she told me “I continue defending human rights and I’m paying the price for that.” She was detained by the secret police (DAS) when she was in Arauca City on February 14, 2006 for a medical appointment. The police didn’t present her with an arrest order until two hours later.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";" lang="EN-US"> Marcela, Flor’s oldest daughter, was 18 years old when her mother was imprisoned. She suddenly had to assume the responsibility of taking care of her three siblings – Viviana, who was 8 years-old; Fernando, 11; and Edwin, 14. The four of them have occasionally gone hungry, but they’ve stayed together as a family. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";" lang="EN-US"> As a single mother, Flor requested that she be granted house arrest so that she could care for her children. That request was denied because she was considered to be a danger to society and to her own children. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";" lang="EN-US"> Flor’s trial on January 23, 2007 lasted for 15 minutes. None of the six witnesses that testified during the investigation appeared in court. The judge left the courtroom before the trial began and the prosecutor declared her to be guilty of rebellion. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";" lang="EN-US"> Flor worked as a rural health promoter for 14 years and she’s continuing that work by caring for the health of the other inmates. She’s also continuing her role as a catechist. “In these circumstances if you’re not spiritually strong, you’ll fall apart,” she said. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";" lang="EN-US"> Her primary concern is the violation of children’s rights, including those of her own children – the right to be with their mother and to not suffer from hunger. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";" lang="EN-US"> Flor was very glad to hear that the Arauca Peasant Association is continuing its work in spite of the repression against the organization. Luz Perly Cordoba, the founding president, spent a year in prison for rebellion and is now living in exile. An arrest order was issued for the second president last year, and another member of the board was imprisoned for rebellion in January. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";" lang="EN-US"> “There’s nothing else to do but to cry and to keep going forward,” Flor concluded. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";" lang="EN-US"> In love and solidarity,<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";" lang="EN-US"> CJ <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" > <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /><span style="" lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Colombian Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14105005895979262918noreply@blogger.com0